


Imaginary friend

by felicialovescats



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Imaginary friend that became real, Tim Drake-centric, not in a horror story way though, with help from a genie in a lamp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:08:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26062441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/felicialovescats/pseuds/felicialovescats
Summary: Tim knew that Samuel was just a part of his imagination. Samuel Jackson Drake was someone that looked exactly like Tim, except that he’s way better at the social niceties, have a mean streak like he’s from the dark parts of Gotham, and very rebellious. Almost the total opposite of Tim.Including the fact that Tim existed in the real world, while Samuel was only in his mind.No one could touch Sam. No one else could speak with him or even see him. Sam didn’t exist in this real world.Well, not until now.
Relationships: Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Samuel Drake (OC)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 112





	Imaginary friend

Tim knew that Samuel was just a part of his imagination. Samuel Jackson Drake was someone that looked exactly like Tim, except that he’s way better at the social niceties, have a mean streak like he’s from the dark parts of Gotham, and very rebellious. Almost the total opposite of Tim.

Including the fact that Tim existed in the real world, while Samuel was only in his mind.

Tim could even remember the first time he talked to Sam. He was five, and bored with all his toys because there’s very little games that he could play alone. So he made a friend up.

He was careful not to mention anything to his nannies, as well as his parents when they’ve returned from their trips. Sam warned him not to, and honestly he was old enough that imaginary friends were treated as nuisances or even scary, instead of cute. It’s their inside joke, for Sam to make stupid faces behind his parents, and it’s all Tim could do not to laugh.

Tim got punished a few times because he was “not paying attention”, but it was worth it when he was locked in his room and get to have all the fun with Sam. Quietly, of course.

But that’s the thing. In the end, no one could touch Sam. No one else could speak with him or even see him. _Sam didn’t exist in this real world._

Well, not until now.

* * *

He was thirteen. Jason died recently. Both Sam and he mourned for their hero, all while Tim was keeping an eye on Bruce-Batman.

On one hand, Tim was very worried about the grieving father, on the other Sam was totally seething and aggravated that Batman did not kill the Joker when he could.

‘Him and his stupid no-kill rule! Ya know if he had slit that excuse of a man’s throat early on, so much death would have been avoided! So much suffering! Just because a coward couldn’t kill someone, now others have to die for his mistake!’ Sam ranted, while Tim was out, tailing the now alone Batman.

‘You know as well as I do that Bruce doesn’t kill because it will be a very steep downhill for him.’ Tim whispered under his breath. Just because Sam can yell and shout all he wanted, didn’t mean that Tim could do the same.

Sam rolled his eyes, just as they watched Batman deciding that it’s the end of patrol today. ‘Yeah, well. Clever guy that he is, he couldn’t, ya know, arrange _something?’_

Tim ignored him and stayed back for a few moments, making sure that he would not cross path with Batman on his way home. The risk of living right next to the Wayne Manor. But at the same time, a sort of plan was forming in his mind.

‘Oh no, I know that look. _I’m_ the one who usually have that look. Talk to me.’ Sam squatted down in front of Tim.

‘I think… I think Batman needs a kid.’

‘… what the fuck.’

Of course Sam would disagree with his plans. It was stupid and right up Sam’s alley, which meant it was definitely _not_ up Tim’s alley. Tim’s the quiet one, the good one. He kept to his parent’s schedule even though his parents weren’t there to supervise him, that’s how good he was. No matter how much taunting and begging and whining Sam did, Tim stuck to the schedule, which meant no fun, no trash food, and did he mention _no fun?_

But since he was just an incorporeal individual who can’t even touch anything, Tim got to do what he wanted.

Which was to become the new Robin.

Sam dissuaded him, successfully at first. _Ask Dick, maybe he can come back,_ he said. _Or ask Barbara, she is closer to being an adult than we are, and adults are supposed to know better,_ when Dick refused to come back. But no dice.

So Tim got to do what he wanted. And he got it, to both of their surprise.

At night, after Bruce finally nodded to Tim being Robin, they both laid in bed, gazing onto the ceiling in amazement.

‘Wow, I actually did it.’

‘Wow, you actually did it.’

A pause, before both of them started laughing until they got stitches at their sides. They turned to each other, and from the way Tim reached out to Sam they knew that Tim had wanted to hug him. But they can’t.

Because Sam’s still Tim’s imaginary friend, even after so many years.

‘You know, people said that imaginary friends don’t last for so long.’ Tim said, when they quieted down. They had looked it up ono the internet, about imaginary friends. Usually occurred in lonely children, it was one of the items to be concerned with young children. But internet also said that imaginary friends go away as the child gets older.

Sam shrugged. ‘I guess you still need me, that’s why I’m still here.’

‘I… I don’t want to need you, because needing you here means that I’m not… that I’m wrong. Different. But I want you here with me. I don’t have anyone else.’ Tim’s lips quivered, and he was sniffling.

Sam leaned towards him until their forehead would touch, if he wasn’t incorporeal. ‘I know. And that’s why I’ll be here. I’ll be here if you want me here. Forever, even.’

‘Thank you.’

‘No problem, Timmy.’

* * *

And then Tim was fifteen, when the biggest news came from his parents.

There was a job offer in Australia, along with the papers that stated that if they accept, the government would allow the Drakes full access to all the dig sites in Australia. Along with some terms and conditions, but that wasn’t the problem.

The problem was that Janet and Jack Drake were very excited about it, and they were obviously going to accept it. Tim wouldn’t mind much – sure he would miss his parents, but then Bruce and Alfred and Dick were enough to be his new family. He loved being with them, and he was sure that he could convince his parents that he could live with the Waynes when they moved to Australia.

Even Sam was excited. When Tim slept over at the Wayne’s manor, Sam was usually gone, adventuring in the big manor. Tim would stay in the library, content with all the books and the new laptop that his father had given him on the recent birthday. And at night they would be in their room – _their room!_ – and Sam would tell him all the places he had went and the things he had saw.

But, when he was called to his parents’ office, he was shocked to find out that that’s not his parents’ plan.

‘We want you with us, Tim. I’ve already enrolled you in to one of the high schools near the place we will live.’ Janet had said, calmly, no-nonsense. Like she expected Tim to just nod and do whatever she said. And it was true – Tim had always done whatever Janet asked him to, and this time was no different.

‘It’s great, Tim! The main reason why we leave you here was because all the sites we wanted to go were always too far. But now that we have the permission to be in the sites in Australia, you might be able to join us for a short weekend trip!’ Jack was excited – he had felt bad that Tim was always left alone in Gotham, but with this now he didn’t have to! He could go out at the site doing what he loved without worrying for his son.

Tim kept silent.

This was not part of the plan.

Tim managed to get his parents to agree that it would be troublesome to pull him out of school right in the middle of the year. So they’ve agreed to officially move a few months later, after Tim sit for his final tests. The Drakes then arranged everything, packing stuff up to be sent to Australia, dealing with the Drake Enterprise, lawyers and everything.

Tim was so overwhelmed by the fact that _he was leaving_ that it was all he could do, to go to school in daytime, and go to patrol in night-time.

Bruce and Alfred, of course, heard about it. Everyone in Gotham heard about it – Jack was practically yelling it to everyone who would listen. He even did an interview, that’s how happy he was.

Few days after his parents told him about their plan, they left for Australia to start buying houses and establishing the Drake Enterprise there. Jack left the company here to be taken care of by his trustworthy assistant, who had an instant promotion to CEO. The Drake manor was almost empty now, everything either shipped to Australia or donated.

When Tim move to Australia, this property would be sold.

Sam was abnormally quiet these days, as contrasted to Tim’s noisy and panicking mind. They both knew the implication of this move.

No more Robin. No more Batman. No more Waynes.

No more sleeping over. No more Alfred’s cooking. No more Bruce’s exasperated smiles. No more Dick and his hugs.

No more happiness.

‘Okay, that’s a little too depressing, even for this spiral.’ Sam came right into Tim’s personal space. ‘Australia, man! It’ll be fun! Another whole continent, with more sunlight in a day than Gotham in a month.’

‘Yeah, sure. Fun.’

So it wasn’t a surprise that Tim was contemplating of doing this instead of throwing the suspicious oil lamp as far as he could.

They were cleaning up what’s remaining in the attic, which was just a few dusty boxes here and there. The more important items were already gone, and honestly, Tim thought that the remaining boxes here were meant to be thrown away. But he was trying to find things to occupy his mind, and Sam told him about the attic, so here they were.

It was just one more week before Tim would be leaving for Australia. He was in the middle of exams now, but he had absolutely no mood to study. In the back of his mind, he thought that if he didn’t study, then the exams won’t arrive, and he will be able to stay in Gotham forever.

Sam only sighed and gave him a stink eye when he told him that.

But he couldn’t concentrate on his studies, and he had been benched from being Robin for a few days because of his lack of concentration. The disappointment in Batman two days ago was even worse, because everyone knew that Robin would be leaving, and Tim should have done better. Bruce was kind enough to let Tim be Robin for the remaining time, but not when he wasn’t paying attention and almost got himself killed.

‘Come back on Wednesday and we’ll see, alright?’ Bruce said, before sending him off to bed. And wasn’t it also a surprise, that Bruce still allowed Tim to stay in the Wayne’s manor? Perhaps it was a goodbye gift, but Tim wasn’t going to look the gift horse in the mouth.

‘That was always a weird idiom to me, of all animals, why a horse, and why the mouth?’ Sam commented on the side. But Tim ignored him to look at the oil lamp in his hands.

Even though Tim would want to stay at the Wayne’s manor 24/7, he had nothing to do there other than homework and studying, and as he had mentioned before, he really didn’t have the mood to study. So Sam had the great idea of cleaning up the rest of Drake’s manor (which was a totally bad idea, because the reason why he didn’t have the mood to study was because he was moving away from Gotham, and cleaning up the house just made it even more real. Sam told him to just suck it up and deal).

The oil lamp currently in Tim’s hands were in one of the boxes. Sam saw it first and pointed it out to him. It was old, the typical Aladdin-type oil lamp. Dusty, at some parts rusty, but when Tim picked it up, it was obvious that there’s something other-worldly about this oil lamp. Opening it only proved that it was empty, just as Tim had thought, so he closed it back.

Everyone knows that to summon the genie in the oil lamp, you need to rub the side of the lamp three times. Tim looked at Sam, and found that his best friend, his twin, his brother looked back at him.

‘Okay, I’m your imaginary friend, so I know what you’re thinking. And I’ll admit, it’s not bad. But! I don’t want you to get your hopes too high, okay?’ Sam moved closer to Tim so that both of them were sitting side by side.

‘But at the same time, I really hope that it works out just the way you want it, so yeah. I’m with you, the whole way.’

With Sam’s permission, Tim rubbed the oil lamp once. Twice. Third time.

The puff of smoke was both a surprise and not.

Okay, Tim can say for sure that genies do not have blue skin, nor have no legs, or generally look like what genies are depicted in the cartoons or movies. Mister Abraham here looked perfectly normal, like a human. The only weird thing was that he can float-sit on thin air.

‘Hello, boys. Thank you for letting me out of that dusty old lamp for some fresh air. How may I help you?’

Sam looked at Tim with a “he’s crazy” look, and Tim had to agree.

The man had been trapped for who knows how long. If it were Tim, he would have been shouting and running away the moment he was free. Instead, he had introduced himself, and asked how he could help.

‘Er… I don’t mean to offend you or anything, but do all genies work the same? Like, do you give your users three wishes?’ Tim asked hesitantly.

The man blinked, at lost for words. ‘Well. It is one of the common things we genies do, yes. But I offered help for you two because I think you wanted help. I’m one of the kind ones, you can say, where only people who needs some magical help can summon me.’ Abraham slowly floated down on the floor, gesturing them to do the same. ‘Come, let us sit. Your legs will be tired, because I can sense a long story from you two.’

The repeating mention of _two_ boys shocked and scared them both. Their eyes met, but they decided to sit down anyway.

_Sam’s incorporeal, how did he see him?!_

When it was clear that the two boys were unwilling to speak first, Abraham nodded. ‘Alright, I understand that the two of you are confused. Perhaps if I allow you two to ask me any questions…?’

Sam made a slight gesture towards Tim, giving all control to him.

‘How… you can actually see him?’

The way Abraham looked straight into Sam’s eyes made him shudder, and Tim could see the reaction. ‘If you mean this boy here, who had the exact look that you do, then yes.’

‘How?!’

‘You, young one, had been believing in his existence, had _made_ his existence, in fact, from what I can see. Giving him his attitude, his own personal opinions and views had made him almost a soul, so to speak. It didn’t hurt that you had some magic in you, and that belief gave your friend here life. And since I am of magic, as well, I am able to see him.’

_Magic?_

‘Tim doesn’t have magic.’ Sam said almost unconsciously, frowning. And Tim agreed. He was just a normal boy, with some night-time activities not recommended to teens, true, but still human. There were no _miracles_ that happened when he really wanted something.

Abraham inclined his head, as if that would make the truth easier to swallow. ‘Yes, he does. He just used almost all of it to make you.’

And this was the first time that someone other than Tim had talked to Sam. The feeling of being acknowledged by someone _not_ Tim made it so much more real. Sam gaped at Abraham, finally willing to start believing that he was telling the truth.

At his side, Tim was touching his chest, as if he knew there’s where his magic come from. In his heart, he knew that Abraham was not lying. It was definitely weird that Sam was becoming more and more _his own person_ than Tim’s imaginary friend. Imaginary friends don’t have their own independent thoughts. They don’t explore manors on their own and tell Tim things _that he shouldn’t know._

That was when he realised something.

‘Hey Mr Abraham?’

‘Yes dear?’

‘If I ask for Sam to have his own body, would that be doable?’

The hissed _TIM_ told him that Sam was not supportive of that plan, and Tim knew why. The genie cannot be trusted. But.

But Tim wanted to trust him _so bad,_ because that could mean a great solution to all of their problems.

Abraham’s wise eyes laid upon Tim. For a moment Tim was reminded of Alfred. They had years and years of wisdom in them. ‘Yes, dear. That is, in fact, doable.’

‘Oh.’ _Well, that’s good._ ‘How much do we have to pay for three wishes?’ Tim continued, ignoring Sam’s desperate attempts to get his attention at his side.

The low hum from Abraham would have made Tim hesitate more, but Abraham didn’t give him enough time to sweat about it. ‘I am very glad of your vigilance towards me, young one. Your payment for the three wishes will highly depend on what you wish for. But fear not, I require no souls, no death, no money as my payment. That, you can be certain of.’

Tim didn’t know _why_ this genie was so good to them, and so he asked.

Abraham laughed at his question, but in amusement rather than in a mocking way. ‘You’ve freed me from my prison, and once knowing I am a genie with capabilities to provide you wishes, you did not demand anything immediately. That is definitely reason enough for me to treat you nicely. In fact, for that, I would be delighted to grant you an extra wish, if you need it. But that’s not all.’

Slowly, he telegraphed his movement so to not spook Tim and Sam. When he saw that they didn’t react too negatively, Abraham gently pet them on the top of their head. A gesture that only Tim could feel, but a welcomed one for both of them, never-the-less. The fact that someone could see Sam, and they could pin-point where he was, was just amazing.

‘I always have weak spots for young ones like you. Now go and discuss. I shall be here to await your three wishes.’ With that, he sent them off.

Sam beckoned Tim to go to the furthest corner, eager to berate his twin/brother/friend about what he had done, but Tim was hesitant on his foot. He looked around at the dusty old attic, and the fact that Abraham was float-sitting on the floor that, if Tim were to sit, it would ruin his pants with all the dust.

‘Er… Is it okay if we move to a better place? Mr Abraham can have some sunlight while we talk?’

Sam looked at him like he was crazy, but Abraham only smiled.

‘Oh, if you wouldn’t mind carrying my oil lamp, young one. It’s been hundreds of years since I’ve had any sunlight.’

So that’s that.

* * *

‘You absolute doorknob. What the hell were you thinking, talking to an unknown magical creature and making deals! Bruce raised you better, _I_ raised you better!’ If Sam could physically touch something, Tim was sure he would be in a lot of pain right now. But for now, the only thing hurting was his ears.

‘I would apologise, but I know I’m doing the right thing, so shut up and listen to me.’

Sam pouted – “ _I do NOT pout!” “Yes you do!”_ – and crossed his arms to show that he was not happy with what Tim was doing. But he kept quiet anyway.

They were relocated in the sitting room, where they had dragged a chair to the window and put Abraham’s oil lamp on it. The man currently had his eyes closed, while the afternoon sun was shining through the window. And heck, it’s already afternoon. Tim had gotten here in the morning, and from the looks of it, it was closer to 2pm, and no wonder he was feeling a little hungry.

‘Look, I think we can trust Abraham, alright? All we need to worry about is what wishes we want, and the payment. As long as we word it right, there won’t be any loopholes that he can find. And I already have some ideas as to what the wishes are, I just need to run through them by you because you’re gonna be a part of it too.’

‘A part of it- Tim!’

Tim bulldozed through whatever exclamation that Sam was going to say. ‘Okay, so this is what I have in mind- ‘

Ten minutes of discussion/arguing later, both boys were back with Abraham. The man, even though had shown zero interest and attention to them when they were discussing, had opened his eyes the moment they approached. ‘Hello, finished your conversation and had an agreement?’

They both nodded, and Sam looked to Tim, waiting for him to do the talking.

_Tim would have to make sure Sam gets rid of that bad habit – Tim won’t always be there to talk for him._

‘Alright then. You have three wishes; speak them, and they shall be granted.’

It was a pain in the ass to make sure everything was worded correctly, so that nothing surprising will happen, and it cannot be read differently. Tim had heard of jokes about people making wishes and have them granted in a totally different way than they wanted, and Tim definitely need to avoid that.

But generally, the gist of it was this:

Firstly, a copy of Tim’s physical body shall be made and given to Samuel Jackson, where he would have full control of the body just as how a human have over theirs.

Secondly, in a week’s time, everyone who knew that Timothy Drake was the current Robin, will henceforth have it changed to being one Samuel Jackson, who had similar upbringing as Jason Todd.

Thirdly, Timothy Drake and Samuel Jackson have the ability to switch souls with both of their consent, where Tim will have control over Sam’s body, and vice versa.

Essentially, Sam will be replacing Tim as Robin, but both of them get their chances at some happiness.

_It wasn’t like this initially – Tim had only thought to give Sam a body, and have Sam replace him as Robin. But Sam had disagreed when he heard about it._

_‘No, this ain’t fair, Tim! I don’t want to be Robin if_ you _can’t be Robin too! I don’t want to imagine life like this – you think I would be happy that you’re stuck at Australia, doing boring schoolwork alone in a huge house? Because you and I both know that will happen eventually, when father gets bored with having us underfoot during one of their trips. I was made,_ by you _, for a reason, and that’s to be with you when you’re lonely, and I can’t do that if I’m stuck here in Gotham!_

_Besides, I know you like to be Robin too!’_

_A brainstorming session later, and they figured that body-switching was better than other meta-like abilities that they could think of. Teleportation sounded great, but it’s risky if two Tims appeared at the spot. With cameras everywhere, and Oracle behind all of them, they’re gonna get busted very soon. Body-swapping however, would allow them both to enjoy the life of Robin. They had lived with each other long enough to be able to mimic the other’s personality and lifestyle._

Abraham agreed to all the wishes, and immediately granted the first one. A replica of Tim’s body appeared in front of them. The body was breathing on its own, and seemingly in sync with Tim’s own breathing. The genie looked at Sam.

‘You may enter the body by touching it, but I will advise not to until we have finished discussing everything. The moment your soul enters the body, you would most likely be unconscious for a day, or even more for your soul to get used to having a physical body. While you are unconscious, Tim must be by your side – his magic will be essential for your continual existence.’

Sam didn’t seem to be listening, he was staring at the body. A physical body, for him. Someone who had been incorporeal for almost a decade. He can finally talk to other people, touch things, know what water feel like, know what books smell like.

He could finally hug Tim.

‘-Sam? Sam?’ Tim’s calling out to him, and Sam tuned back into the current situation.

‘Are you alright? You went somewhere else.’ Tim was frowning, his hands almost reaching out to him, but not touching.

If he had the body, Tim could touch him. But they can’t do that yet until they polished all the minor details.

‘Yeah- uh, yeah. I’m just. A little excited.’

Tim’s eyes crinkled at the sides. ‘I know right! We’re gonna have so much fun! I already have, like, a full list of what we need to do before I leave for Australia.’ Which included a variety of food, places to go, things to touch.

Both of them took a deep breath to calm themselves. But they managed to turn back to the situation at hand. Awaiting them was a smiling Abraham, who was kind enough to pretend that nothing had happened, and continued.

‘As for your second wish, you want its effects to be delayed a week?’

‘Yeah, because we need some time to get Sam’s legal papers, need to establish some background for him, make sure people that should know him does know him.’ Tim said.

‘And,’ Sam added with an emphasis, glaring at Tim. ‘We want Tim to still have the one last week with his family.’

‘Yeah, and that.’

Abraham nodded. ‘Of course. Then the second wish shall be granted, as well.’ He then paused in thought about the third wish. ‘I have also granted the third wish, of your ability to switch bodies, however, you can only test it out when your friend here is accustomed to the new physical form of his. So now, we talk about payment.’

And all of the sudden, the tension in the room became so pronounced that Tim gulped. He met Sam’s eyes, who was visibly nervous too – he was biting his lip.

‘As payment, I would like to be home.’

It was unexpected, but sad, in a way. Abraham explained that he hadn’t been close to somewhere like his home for almost his whole life. He was from the deserts, something that one would imagine like in Aladdin. But he was found and taken to the cities, where he was auctioned and sold. Being valuable due to him being a genie, he was shuffled around, stolen, or given as a gift for a lot of times until a selfish owner made sure it was buried with him when he died, and he was given rest for around four decades. It was a few years ago that the Drakes had found him in an excavation site, and he was given to the Drakes as a small gift.

The Drakes, not knowing the gift they were truly given, had scoffed at the appearance of the oil lamp. They had placed it in their luggage, and when they returned to Gotham, they had kept it in the attic, to be forgotten.

‘So where’s your home?’

But that was really the sad part, because it had been so long, Abraham didn’t know. He only remembered the sand, the hot sun, and the mirage that commonly appeared there. It was easy to guess that Abraham’s home was somewhere in the desert, but there were so many places that had deserts that it would be a huge problem to find the one he was referring to.

‘But… you want us to bring you home?’ Tim softly asked. _Does this mean that he doesn’t want us to be able to pay him? Or else why ask the impossible?_

‘No, no. Perhaps I have worded it unwell. No, I wish to be where it is most similar to my home. I understand that I may never return home again, but I wish to be somewhere that reminded me of home.’

‘Ooohhh, that I think I can do.’ Australia is such a wonderful and _weird_ continent that there are deserts along with rainforest and grassland in the same country. So when Tim’s there, he could easily convince his parents to bring him with them during a trip to the deserts. Judging from how happy his father was at the opportunity to bring Tim to his work, it will be a piece of cake.

The proud smile from Abraham did things to his belly and making him duck his head down.

‘And with that, this deal is done.’

The week when Sam had his body was amazing. Tim had called Alfred and said that he would not be back that day. Instead he stayed at Drake’s manor beside Sam, holding his hand _(and Tim still couldn’t believe it, he was holding Sam’s hand!!)._

When Sam woke up, it was morning, and it was time to put the rest of their plan into action. Tim managed to get someone trustworthy online (well, trustworthy after giving him some insane amount of money) to forge some legal papers for Sam. Samuel Jackson was son of one Marissa Jackson, with an unknown father. They came from another city, and the mother and son duo had wanted to find escape. But they were separated when they reached Gotham, and Sam was forced to live alone on the streets.

But it was just a while before he met Batman and became Robin after a similar way that Tim did. That’s just so they didn’t need to change much history. Sam was with Tim the whole time Tim became Robin, so it would be easy for him to keep up with the story.

They made sure to have a few trips at the streets that they decided Sam was living alone in. Paying off some of the youngsters to say that they had met Sam before, if anyone were to ask. Then they arranged so that Sam actually did one drug run (alone, with Tim hiding and prepared to assist), before Robin manage to “catch” the gangs in the act. Just so Sam have an actual memory to count on, if anyone asked about his history.

With the serious things done, they still had four days before Tim’s leaving Gotham. Sam was with the opinion that Tim should spend the rest of the days with the Waynes and being Robin. Tim was with the opinion that he should spend some time with Sam, bringing him to all the places that he never had the chance to experience.

They compromised. Tim brought Sam (disguised well enough with makeup and accessories that no one could note the similarities between him and Tim unless they really looked) to the amusement park and the petting zoo for a day. The next day, they had a food trip all around Gotham.

The last two days were spent in the Wayne’s manor. Tim had figured out that even though Sam now had a body, it was still new enough that sometimes his soul can drop out of the body unexpectedly. Sam could enter the body again with a touch, and Abraham had promised that this occurrence would lessen the more Sam was in his body, so they took advantage of Sam’s incorporeal form for a while, them both spending some quality time with Alfred and Bruce.

But happy times were gone too soon, and today would be the day Tim leaves for Australia. Bruce and Alfred had no idea what was happening; they only noted how distant Tim was, the past week, and Bruce had chalked it up to teens being teens. Especially since Tim was technically still grounded (or retired, since he was going to leave soon). Alfred had some suspicion, but had decided to let Tim deal with it on his own for now.

But it was enjoyable to be with his family- he meant, with the Waynes, for his last few days in Gotham. He didn’t know when he’ll be back (as in, back officially as Tim Drake), and so he cherished it, a lot. Sam was there with him too, incorporeal that he was, and it was almost like nothing was different.

Until he had to leave, of course.

They were at the airport, Sam with his disguise and Tim with his luggage. Tim’s parents were already in Australia, and Tim was flying on his own. Sam was angry that he couldn’t be with Tim.

This would be the first time they part from each other.

Sam was the only one seeing Tim off. Their plan of replacing Tim with Sam was working a bit too well – the people in Tim’s school had believed that Tim left a week ago. Bruce and Alfred thought Tim was out with some friends, and would be back home soon. By the time Tim leaves, Abraham’s magic would have worked its way into their brain, and when Sam returns to the Wayne manor, they would accept him in as if he had been living there for the past few months.

Everything that even hinted on Tim’s existence in the Wayne’s manor was cleaned up last night. When they returned to Tim’s room in the Drake manor, Sam had to hold his twin tightly, the sobbing seemingly making the boy want to disappear, he was curling up into himself so much. He himself wasn’t able to do much other than to hold Tim close.

They were going to be apart, starting tomorrow.

‘I’m… I’m not regretting anything!’ Tim calmed down enough to say. ‘But I will miss you so much. I’m scared of being alone!’

Sam was too, but their relationship dynamic didn’t allow Sam to say that. When one of them were scared, or angry, or any of the negative feelings that humans unfortunately have to deal with, the other will be the opposite to try and calm them both down.

They calmed enough to sleep through the night, and when daylight came, it’s time.

Sam didn’t mention the tears in Tim’s eyes, and Tim kindly did the same.

Honestly, Sam thought he had the better part of the deal. He was here with Alfred and Bruce and sometimes Dick. He was in a more familiar environment, he knew how to act with these people. He was here his whole life.

Tim was moving to a totally new place. He didn’t have an established support system there – his support system was Sam, and he’s here in Gotham. Tim had to start everything from scratch. Tim was already hesitant in going out of his comfort circle in his normal life – he would have so much trouble doing that in Australia, especially when Sam’s not there to take some of his attention away.

Sam wanted to be with him so bad. But he couldn’t – there were still a lot of things to do here, when everyone’s memory will be affected. Sam had to be there and give suggestive comments, enough to make them form their own story that worked with whatever background story they had established for Sam. Preferably _before_ they could make their own assumptions that may be the total opposite of what they had planned. And the first few weeks were the most crucial.

Sam pressed a kiss on Tim’s forehead. They were of the same height, so he had to pull Tim down a bit. ‘You’re gonna be fine, okay? We had our phones – you can call me anytime. If things get tough, let me know and we’ll swap, okay? I’ll deal with whatever you can’t, and it’ll be fine, kay? I love you so much.’

Isn’t it sad, that the first time someone said that they love Tim, was from someone that Tim had _made_ from his magic?

‘I love you too Sam.’

And then Tim left.

* * *

It was amazing how long they had gotten away with it. After the first few weeks where the missing memories were causing some issues, Batman and the rest had accepted Sam into the family.

They had started their switching schedules two weeks after Tim left. Initially it was just a few days, for testing. Just in case someone could actually notice the difference. When no one did, the days were extended longer, especially when Tim was having a hard time being socially accepted in the high school he was enrolled in Australia. It was his introverted-ness and his homesickness than had acted against him, making it hard for him to assimilate. Sam helped a bit, fostering some friendships here and there while Tim was recovering by being Robin again.

They made it work. Phone calls and messages were the only things connecting them, until one day Tim suddenly figured out telepathic communication.

The boy had ranted about how he was trying for the past month, _because I am supposed to have magic yeah? And you’re made of my magic, sort of. So at the very least my magic should be able to link us up so we can communicate telepathically, like in the movies or in comics, right?_ Talking to some of the magic-users during his turn for Robin had helped a lot. It was a literal headache before both of them could communicate telepathically well enough like they were talking face to face, or through the phone. But after a few weeks of practice, they could talk to each other without the help of technology, making secret-keeping easier and safer.

They could also switch with a second’s notice. As long as both of them were consenting, a simple thought could switch their souls around.

They had each other through thick and thin.

Sam had Tim for maths and sciences, Tim had Sam for literature and languages. Sam had Tim to nag him for research and paperwork, Tim had Sam to help him with his friends and social niceties.

They both loved being Robin, but they loved different aspects of it. Sam was partial to the adrenaline rush, the fights, the thrill of victory. Tim was more for the detective work, the research that leads to sinkholes and sinkholes of research, and the thrill of when he figured out the mystery.

Sam was there when the inevitable happened between Tim’s parents and him. When the excitement of being able to bring Tim along was now lost, and the Drake’s were tired of having to care for a child. They didn’t realise that children were not supposed to be at the archaeology sites, and they needed to go through more hoops. The first few times were acceptable, then…

It seemed that they were tired of waiting for Tim to grow up. And so what happened in Gotham happened again – Tim was left at home with a housekeeper for months, but this time he did not have Sam, nor Robin. Not even Batman.

Sam did his best, but he, now an adrenaline addict, could not live Tim’s life as a student for too long. A few days, yes. Not for weeks of just studying and classes. His limbs get jittery, he was shaking his legs the moment he was supposed to be still. But he tried; he would do anything for Tim.

And Tim, in return, was there whenever Bruce had a fight with Dick. Both of them hated fights that resulted into shouting and yelling, but Sam in particular hated it. He was okay with it when it happened to the Drakes because he was incorporeal, and he only needed to focus on Tim. But now that he had a physical body, and being injured _hurt,_ he tried to avoid it as much as possible. And when things got too rough, he had Tim take over, as Tim had more experience in being within hurting range, and thus could act more appropriately.

Sam was there for Tim when the Drakes’ plane crashed. He made some lies up with Bruce so he could purchase a flight ticket to Tim. They spent a week together, making future plans. Tim decided to continue on with his studies in Australia, and at least graduate, before even thinking about going back to Gotham. He also had to take care of his father who was in coma. That week was the first time in a long time that they had seen each other in person, and they told everyone who saw them that they were distant cousins.

(The decision was made the moment they realised that they had missed out on one important thing during their discussion about the wishes. The exact replica of Tim’s face would cause a lot of problems later on. So while Sam here would have Tim’s face, Tim will have to be accustomed to a different hairstyle, slight make-up, and some magic when he learnt to use it, to make sure Tim’s face looked slightly different from Samuel Jackson. That way, if anyone were to meet them both, together or separately, they would not think of _twins,_ but perhaps close relatives. And close relatives is much easier to explain than identical twins).

A week was too short, and when everything was done, Sam had to go back to Gotham.

But when Jason returned from the dead and had tried to hurt Sam at every corner, Tim got his back. Like Tim, Sam also had a little hero-worshipping with Jason-as-Robin, and the attacks were hurtful in more ways than one. Tim wasn’t there at any time Sam was attacked by Jason, but it was clear that they both were hurt. They shared the burden together, ranting at each other and at the same time desperately trying to find the reason why they bore the brunt of Jason’s anger.

It was Tim who figured out that they were just collateral damage – Jason was more frustrated at Bruce than them-as-replacement. That make it feel a little bit better, but not so much. Sam almost died a few times. Tim, with research and nights out in Gotham trying to find clues, finally realised how Jason was who he was now.

 _‘Ra’s al Ghul is bad news, Sam, I mean it.’_ Tim had told him through their mind, when he realised. _‘That, and those Lazarus pit.’_

Sooner or later, Jason calmed down a bit.

But then came all the death. Stephanie, who Sam really _really_ liked (Tim had teased him about having a girlfriend, and Sam had denied vehemently, which made it worse). Conner, which _Tim_ had sort of a crush on (and Sam returned all the teasing back to Tim). Bart, who was both of their best friend.

Bruce.

It was heartbreaking, to know that Bruce had died. Sam was there at the funeral, his heart, heavy with all his losses, was crushed with the death of his mentor, the man he thought of as his father.

(Jack may be Tim’s father, but Bruce was their dad).

When Tim, frantic and almost crazed due to the lack of sleep had contacted him with suspicions that Bruce may not be dead, Sam hadn’t believed him. How could he, Sam truly believed he had died.

Tim was in Australia – he wasn’t here in Gotham. He wasn’t with everyone who had known Bruce, listening to so many “sorry for your loss” until the words had no meaning. He wasn’t here with the ones who knew Bruce as Batman, being silent and still. He wasn’t with Superman, when he had given them the news. He wasn’t here, when Dick immediately crumbled, when Damian (the demon brat who gave his life so much hell before) looked so lost. He wasn’t here, when Cassandra (the new daughter of Bruce, whose company Sam enjoyed) had decided to up and leave, incapable of handling the death of another father. He wasn’t here when Jason heard the news, the crazed laughter that was released when he heard of Bruce’s death.

It was their first fight. It lasted for a few hours, because Sam finally believed Tim when he managed to find proof.

No, Sam was lying to himself. He had believed Tim the moment he told him of his suspicion. He just didn’t want to get his hopes high. But the proof that Tim gathered was enough to convince him, and Sam went to Dick for help.

But Dick wasn’t much help at all. Instead he had opted to care for the demon brat first, casting Sam out. For all the years that Sam had been with Dick, being his sidekick sometimes, being his brother. It wasn’t enough for Dick. Sam wasn’t enough.

It was at this moment when Sam truly understood Tim’s pain, when his parents left him at home alone again in Australia. The pain when you knew you weren’t enough, and you will never be enough for someone to love you.

They were sharing the telepathic link when Dick took Robin away from Sam, and even from a continent away, Tim could feel Sam’s pain. Tim was in his room alone, doing research to get Bruce back, and when he felt the same pain from Sam that he had always carried in his heart, he asked for a switch.

Sam gladly let him.

And so it was Tim who grit his jaw and lifted his head high. ‘So be it. I will look for Bruce myself then.’ It was Tim who threw the yellow cape on the floor, and left.

The first thing he did, when he got back to Sam’s room in the Wayne’s manor, was to pack up. Sam didn’t need to stay here with Dick; the proximity would only hurt more. He decided to buy the theatre house that he was always eyeing for. It was move-in ready, and great for them both.

He walked past Alfred, and for a moment he was sorry for all the pain he caused the old man. He already lost a son, and now he could potentially lose a grandson. ‘I’m sorry Alfred. I just… I need to leave.’

‘Please be well, Master Sam. I would… I would hate to have anything happen to you.’

Tim gave him a hug for Sam, and left.

The next thing he did was to buy a flight ticket from Australia to Gotham. Tim would look for Bruce with Sam together.

The search for Bruce went well. They made sure to never appear at the same place at once, and after a nasty surprise when two separate parties had seen them both at different places at the same time and had _noticed,_ they deemed it necessary to make sure only one of them was active while the other hid in their safehouse.

It didn’t always work – certain plans were based on the fact that there were two of them instead of one, but they made it work.

Ra’s al Ghul’s fascination with Sam was growing day by day, the more they interacted with them. But horrifyingly, it was as if the man can tell when it was Sam or Tim he was interacting. The old man’s obsession with Tim was getting obvious, and he was slightly dismissive when he met Sam instead.

The moment they could, they ran away from the League as far as they could.

Unfortunately, Tim couldn’t escape him soon enough to save his spleen.

When he managed to escape and meet up with Sam, his twin’s face was a mess, with tears and bags under his eyes.

‘Hey Sam, I’m back.’

‘Hey Tim, I love you so much. Did you know you lost a spleen?’

As the matter of fact, he didn’t. Tim had passed out halfway through the procedure. Instead, Sam came and took his place, not trusting Tim’s body with the old man at all. The grin on Ra’s face when he had his spleen out was horrifying, and Sam was glad Tim didn’t have to see it.

(He hated the man for going through with the procedure with so much care, with perfect doctors and the needed cleanliness, but he deemed it necessary for Tim to be awake for the whole procedure, with only local anaesthesia. Because he wanted Tim to watch and know who was doing this to him).

‘Oh, really? Well, a human can survive without a spleen, right? I guess that’s fine then.’

And that was that. They had more important things to do, like finding Bruce.

The day they got Bruce back was glorious.

All the science was done by Tim (because they float past Sam’s brain when he wasn’t concentrating, and why concentrate when Tim’s clever enough to do that?), and when everything was said and done, they had an unconscious Bruce in their arms. They needed the both of them to bring Bruce back to a location where they can transfer him to the hospital, and when the ambulance arrived, Sam was there to be with him the whole way.

The whole thing took almost a year, and by that time Tim managed to graduate high school by attending to the exams online, and he managed to get Sam in on it too. Sam was also the CEO of Wayne’s enterprise because of reasons, but it was Tim that was the true leader there. Tim managed to have his father taken care of 24/7 by a nurse, and when he woke up from the coma they had a phone call, and Jack didn’t even ask what his underage son was doing away from his home. No, the man was more preoccupied with Drake industry (which Tim was also handling), and the pretty nurse.

When the both of them returned to the theatre house that Tim had bought for them, they went to sleep immediately. They will deal with all the repercussions of Tim just up and leaving Australia, Sam just up and leaving the Wayne family, the fights and non-fights between former Robin (now Red Robin) and Nightwing/Batman.

All will be dealt with later, when they had a full night’s rest, knowing that they had brought their dad home.

* * *

To be honest, everything came to a head due to their carelessness. They were both too relaxed, too reckless. Too uncaring.

When Bruce established his place back in Gotham, when Dick returned to Nightwing, when Damian remained Robin, when Jason came back and became Red Hood. Sam was still Red Robin, but Tim was also Red Robin.

Tim made arrangements for Timothy Drake to return to Gotham. He took back the Drake Enterprise, and he became the youngest CEO to be the head of a company. Jack was happily within the arms of the nurse he had, and he had waved his hands dismissively when Tim told him his plans. Tim had also applied for college, but under an online course so his schedule was more flexible. He also bullied Sam into doing it, so they can have a partner in group assignments.

There was a fuss when Tim Drake, the young heir of Drake Enterprise returned to Gotham, and Tim had to attend galas after galas to establish his place here. He was seventeen years old, without a strong background to support him other than his parent’s name. He also had the chance to talk to Bruce Wayne face to face, but other than the slight scare when Bruce stared at him for a few seconds, he didn’t recognise him, so it was fine.

At first it was just like before, where they switched souls to use Sam’s body, which was more trained and used to the work they put it on. But Sam had a great (stupid) idea.

‘You know, since you’re physically here, we don’t need to switch souls anymore. _You_ can go out and be Red sometimes, you know?’

Tim blinked, as he paused with whatever paperwork he was reading. ‘You’re… actually right. Wow, I didn’t think of that.’

So they started Tim on the same training regimen that Sam had. The thing was, Tim was trained by Batman before, and he still had the habit of exercising even when he was in Australia. So it only took a short while for him to get used to the workout (and it was just getting his body to the right level, because his soul was used to commanding a body that was capable of doing almost anything).

They took turns – when one was outside with all the action, the other would be the one in the comms, giving information and direction. They still had Oracle, but for most of the time Red Robin(s) fly solo. And they really abused the fact that they had two of them.

If Sam broke his ribs trying to fight of a gang yesterday night while they were flying solo (which meant no one knew he was hurt), then Tim would be out the next day, continuing their work, and bring the unexpected shock to their enemies when they expected Red Robin to be down.

If Tim was down with a cold, but it was Tim’s turn to be out in the field, they swap bodies so Tim could still go out, while Sam helped Tim nurse his body back to health (because thankfully being sick was only confined to their physical body). Sam did this willingly because he knew Tim would do the same for him.

But it was the other things too.

If Red Robin had to work with Red Hood, it will always be Tim that went. Sam still had complex feelings towards the fact that _his childhood hero tried to murder him_ , and until he gets a sincere apology, he will not work with Red Hood. Tim though, had the privilege to avoid all that, and so he was always the one to go when Red Hood asked. They both understand that it was mostly the Lazarus Pit, but Sam couldn’t handle it yet. Tim and Jason were good partners, most of the time. Jason had mellowed out a lot as compared to when he first came back to Gotham, the pit rage controlled well enough for him to be a decent human being. Tim still made sure that Jason knew that not everything is good between them, because it wasn’t. Not between _Sam_ and Jason.

If Red Robin had to work with Dick, however, it was always Sam. Tim _hated_ the fact that Dick had made Sam feel abandoned, to feel what he had felt with his parents, and every time he needed to interact with Dick, the hatred was oozing out of him so much that Sam had had to telepathically calm him down before Dick would be suspicious. In the end they finally decided to let Sam handle everything Dick, just like how Tim was handling everything Jason. Similarly to Sam with Jason, until Tim had gotten a sincere apology from Dick to Sam about this issue, he will not let up.

It’s weird how Tim can handle Jason, who actually tried to kill Sam, but couldn’t handle Dick, who only tried to cast Sam out at a bad time. But only Tim truly knew how much damage Dick had done to Sam – it took Tim a long while to get Sam back to how he was normally, after Dick had cast him out.

Damian though… Damian was a burden shared by both of them.

Working with Batman was also shared, because they both loved Bruce a lot, and most of the time, if they were working with Batman, chances were they will end up in the Wayne manor, and no one says no to Alfred’s food when they had the chance.

* * *

The first mistake they made was to let Jason know that Tim had no spleen.

But in their defence, it was some sort of an emergency, and Sam couldn’t be there to help.

Red Robin was pairing up with Red Hood again, and when there’s Red Hood, there’s always an explosion somewhere. Usually, he did pretty well in communicating where the explosion would be, but the attack on them had taken them by surprise, and Red Hood activated the bomb before he could tell Tim. And Tim, being the unfortunate soul here, was near the blasting area.

A shrapnel had made its way into his torso, lodging itself within his abdomen. Tim had thought it was a clean through and through, and had decided to allow Red Hood (who felt bad) to help him with the wound cleaning.

By the time they realised that the shrapnel was still inside Tim, Tim had lost consciousness due to the blood loss and pain. When Tim finally woke up, he was faced with Jason and a doctor he usually worked with.

‘When are going to tell us that you didn’t have a spleen?’

Tim had to feed some lies to Jason, saying that it was an accident a few months earlier, and that it wasn’t common knowledge, and even Batman didn’t know. Jason didn’t seem convinced, and in fact had wanted to let at least Alfred know, because “the lack of a spleen means your body is now weaker towards infection, Replacement, and that means additional care if you get hurt”. Tim managed to assure Jason that he will let them know when it is necessary, and Jason finally agreed.

Besides, to tell Alfred about it meant that there’s a chance that Jason had to interact with Bruce, and Jason would have done anything to avoid that. He might have been better at controlling his pit rage, but that didn’t mean that he was all good with Bruce.

Tim told Sam about the incident, and Sam was a little worried, just like Tim was.

‘But as long as I’m careful, and no one else knew, then it should be fine?’ Sam asked, but honestly there was no other choice. They just need to make sure that if it was Sam’s body that was injured, that Jason wouldn’t be there to make the information of Tim’s lost spleen known to the rest of the family, then it should be fine.

‘But just in case, we’ll rest for a while – Jason knew Red Robin was injured anyway, so we need to stop. And for the next few missions, your body should be the one out, just in case anyone else knew you got hurt.’

‘Yeah.’

And that was supposed to be that.

But then two months later, when Tim’s scars from the bomb shrapnel were healed to the best extent that it could, Sam got injured during a team-up with the whole Batfam.

They debated on going, Tim and Sam. But at the same time, they knew it wouldn’t matter how long they thought about it – one of them will _need_ to go as Red Robin. When Batman had asked for the attendance of all vigilantes in Gotham, it meant that something was bad enough that the lone wolf was willing to have help.

Heck, even Jason got called, and that’s when they knew it was going to be bad.

It was supposed to be Tim’s turn at being Red Robin, but they decided it would be better for Sam to go instead. Instead Tim would stay back and man his comms, doing what he did best – to research and look out for any danger that may come to their family.

It was just extremely, extremely bad luck that Sam was hurt during the end of the fight. And not just any places, but at his abdomen, bad enough to need immediate emergency care.

Most of the henchmen were down, the leaders in cuffs and ready to be brought back to Arkham. It was just unlucky that one of the men who was thought to be unconscious, lunged at Sam when he was close. The man was easily subdued by Jason, who was near at the time, but Sam was already down.

The knock of his head against the flat surface didn’t help matters, and along with other injuries and fatigue, Sam was knocked unconscious. Before he faded away though, he managed to hear Jason yell something about “no spleen!”, and the last thought that he had, and he managed to hear that from Tim’s mind, was appropriate in this situation.

_Oh shit._

* * *

When he woke up, Sam was in bed. He kept his eyes closed, while using other senses to feel where he was. It was definitely the health bay that the Bats commonly used – the smell here was as familiar as his own room. It was silent other than the backdrop of medical machines, but at the same time he knew he wasn’t wrong when he said that he was being watched.

‘I know you’re awake.’

It was Bruce, and when he was using _that_ tone, the one where he’s trying to say _you’re in so much trouble but I’m going to give you one chance to explain yourself,_ Sam knew pretending to be asleep would be futile. So he opened his eyes, and automatically wanted to shift from the laying position. But he couldn’t move.

He was cuffed, to the bed.

It’s probably due to the painkillers, or the sheer unbelievableness of this situation, that Sam gave Bruce the unimpressed eyebrow raise. ‘Seriously Bruce, I know that _you know_ that you’ve trained me enough to be out of these cuffs in minutes.’

‘Well at least he _sounds_ normal to me.’ Dick appeared behind Bruce, who was sitting right in front of Sam. The man was tensed, but he was obviously trying to hide it. Dick on the other hand, was doing his best to be relaxed and chill. ‘I’ll tell everyone else that Sam’s woken up. They’ll need to be here for this.’ Dick said, and left.

‘Be here for what?’ Sam asked, even though he sort of knew the answer. In his mind, he was trying to reach Tim, who had responded immediately.

_‘Sam! You’re awake! What’s the situation?’_

_‘I’m not sure, but judging from how Bruce is acting now, and the fact that Dick is calling the whole family in, I think it’s gonna be serious. I don’t think we can hide anymore, but lemme just figure out what_ they _know first.’_

_‘Roger that. But I’m still coming. ETA to Drake manor in 7 minutes; I’ll wait for you there.’_

_‘Sure. I’ll let you know what’s going on, when things start going on.’_

_‘Sure, and don’t admit to anything unless they have actual proof!’_

Bruce didn’t reply to his question, so it saved Sam from saying anything that might give him trouble later. Even though Tim said to not admit to anything, Sam had the feeling that it won’t work for this round.

Everyone else turned out to be Alfred, Jason and Damian. Alfred immediately went to fuss at the machines, while the little squirt demon shuffled his feet at the door, not in hesitation, but more of frustration. Jason however, had something in his hands, and he had gone immediately to Sam.

‘So, little Replacement bird, mind telling us who you really are?’ Jason had grown big and brawny just like Bruce, and just like Batman he used that image of him to his advantage. He loomed over Sam, and for an instance Sam was reminded that this man right here had tried to kill him. Not once, but a few times. Like, genuinely tried to kill him.

He could still feel the knife at his throat.

Sam tried scrambling away, but being in bed, being handcuffed in bed meant that there’s nowhere to go.

‘Get away! Get away from me!’ He yelled, and when he realised that his feet were still free, he tried to kick Jason away. Jason, being an asshole that he was, only grabbed them nonchalantly. But the confusion on his face was apparent.

Yeah, the man was confused. “Sam” had never reacted like this with him during the whole time Red Hood returned to Gotham and started to be a part of the good vigilant group.

This was probably the first time that Sam had interacted with Jason ever since _that day_ , and it did not help that Jason was actively trying to scare him.

‘What the heck- Calm down!’ Sam was still trying to struggle away from Jason’s grip. Behind Jason, Dick was moving towards him, placating hands trying to get Jason to let go, which Jason finally did, realising that he was really doing nothing helpful.

To Sam’s comfort, Jason also took a step back, and the looming presence was far enough to give him space to breathe.

‘What have you done Jason?’ Dick demanded.

‘Nothing! Other than me trying to kill him a long time ago! But I’ve done nothing to deserve this recently, and he’d never reacted like this before!’

Dick and Jason got into a quarrel, while Bruce stayed frighteningly silent.

Sam was still breathing rapidly, trying to calm Tim down on the other side.

‘Young sirs, if I may. Master Sam is still under some drugs, so I suggest dealing with this quickly, so we may let him rest,’ Alfred approached with that no-nonsense tone he had, and eyed Bruce. ‘ _Without_ the handcuffs, if you would.’ He then moved forward to Sam, and slowly helped him sit up on the bed, before taking a slight step back.

It was weird but also very reassuring for Alfred to trust him like this. Usually if there’s someone that Batman was suspicious of, Alfred would stay at the background, only appear when it was certain that the person was trustworthy. But it was clear who Alfred supported, in this standoff.

Bruce was also weirded out by Alfred’s action, as can be seen by how he was staring at Alfred a few moments longer than he needed to. But he gestured towards Jason, and Jason finally showed what was in his hands.

‘Okay, so to get everyone on the same page. Here’s the scan that I had a trusted doctor made on Sammy just a few months ago, when he needed a bomb shrapnel removed from his body. The doctor had shown me the scan of a normal person, and what Sam had, and as you can see here,’ Jason was talking like he was doing a classroom presentation, and it would be funny for Sam, if he wasn’t, you know, handcuffed onto the bed. ‘Where I am pointing, there’s an organ here that’s supposed to be here. Sammy, you want to tell the others what it should be?’

Sam rolled his eyes. He could see why Tim was so infatuated with Jason. He was just the right kind of asshole that amuses Tim instead of making him pissed, and when he wasn’t affected by the pit rage, he was actually a funny guy. ‘I don’t know, asshole, why don’t you share with the rest of the class?’

Jason raised his eyebrow with the insult, but moved on. ‘It is a spleen. So, two months prior to this, I discovered that Sam did not have a spleen. He told me it was because of an accident a few months ago, and that it was fine. He implied that you guys didn’t know, and I wasn’t about to touch that with a footlong pole.

‘But when Sam got hurt yesterday, I knew that to fix him, his doctors should know about his lack of a spleen. That’s why I was yelling at Alfie, by the way. Because surgeries for Sam would need more antibiotics than the normal people with the spleen.’

Jason put down the first picture, and raised the second one that was behind it. ‘So imagine my surprise, when this time his spleen magically appear, and to my knowledge, a spleen don’t just magically grow within months.’

It was obvious that Jason had these scans just to have actual physical proof, and it was also obvious that Bruce and Dick believed him.

‘Which means that, Replacement, you need to explain how you did just that, because who knows? Maybe you can help the organ donation industry or something.’

Sam bit his lip. By sharing his mind, Tim was also listening in. _‘You know, I don’t think we can get away from this without telling the truth.’_ He told Tim.

_‘Yeah, if it were you who was hurt before, then I was the one hurt now, then we can at least say something about me losing the spleen after getting hurt due to Jason’s case.’_

Fingers snapping in front of him distracted him from the internal communication. It was Dick. ‘Hey, baby bird, it’s alright. Just tell us, and we’ll be able to help, if you have any problems.’ Dick’s smile was kind, understanding, and Sam could feel Tim’s hatred even through his own mind. It apparently was strong enough to get through, and Dick blinked in confusion. Sam squeezed his eyes, trying to get rid of the feeling.

_“Tim, not helping.’_

_‘Sorry.’_

He looked at Bruce, trying to avoid eye contact with Dick and Jason. ‘I want to know what you think.’ He demanded, in a soft voice. Tim would like to know what Bruce think too.

No matter what conclusions Dick, Jason, Alfred or even Damian had made, the only one that truly mattered was Bruce’s.

_Tim started all these mess because of Bruce. If it weren’t him and Batman and being Robin, Tim’s and Sam’s life wouldn’t be this complicated. Granted he may not be able to have a body like this, and both of them had loved being Robin, but still._

Bruce took a while to form his words, and by the time he opened his mouth, Tim already gave Sam the notice that he was waiting in the Drake’s manor, ready to assist in any way.

‘I had. I had noticed some things that are out of the ordinary, during the past few times I have you working with us.’ Bruce started. ‘Sometimes you treat Dick with hostility, not outright, but it is there. But sometimes you treat him like usual, like he is your elder brother. There were times that you looked at Jason as if you are simultaneously afraid and angry at him, much like what happened just now. But there were also times that you seemed to really be enjoying his presence. At times you are very impatient and antagonistic towards Damian, at others you act like a normal elder brother would towards a younger sibling.

‘I remember that you hated the taste of orange juice when you were younger and was still living with us. But just a few days ago you willingly drank it when Damian poured it to you, and it didn’t seem like you disliked it at all. At moments you loved to play with Titus, like you hadn’t seen him for a long time, other times you gave him the barest pet before moving on with what you were doing. But these were the small things.’

Bruce slowly reached and touched his right upper arm, and it was only now that Sam actually realise that he was shirtless, with only bandages covering the lower part of his torso.

‘Most of all, I am very sure that you should have a scar here, when you tried to defend me from an attack, a few months ago.’

There were only pale, unmarred skin where Bruce was pointing.

_‘Ah shit, Tim. I think we’re actually busted.’_

_‘… I’m coming over. ETA 2 minutes.’_

There was quiet after what Bruce had said. Sam wetted his lips, thinking of what to start off, because if Tim just suddenly appeared without notice, they’re gonna freak.

‘Okay, okay. Don’t freak, but you’re right. All of you are right, okay. I still have my spleen, I love Dick as my brother, I _hate_ Jason especially when he’s trying to be intimidating, I only barely tolerate Damian as he is, and I definitely hate orange juice.’ He looked at Bruce in the eye.

‘And yes, I’m not the one that defended you during that attack, although I was watching it as it occurred. As for the one who had saved you…’

‘That would have been me.’ A voice called out, from near the entrance of the cave. Immediately training kicked in, as everyone turned and went on full defensive.

Sam could almost see what they were thinking. _How could someone come into the Bat Cave without triggering any of the alarm system?_ And to that Sam would gladly answer _when it’s someone that you’ve trusted._

Another Red Robin appeared with hands up. Slowly, he reached to remove his cowl.

Only the deep intake of breath betrayed their surprise, because underneath the cowl was someone who looked exactly like Sam.

* * *

_‘Why are you so dramatic, the heck was that entry.’_ Sam dissed, making Tim roll his eyes at him.

_‘Yeah, don’t tell me you didn’t plan that. It was perfect entry, and you should thank me for making it as perfect as it was.’_

Tim was now sitting on the bed, beside Sam, who was thankfully out of the handcuffs. Both of them had willingly given Bruce their hair, and he was now looking at their DNA at the computer station. Opposite of them was Dick and Jason, who still seemed boggled out of their minds.

Damian was still skulking about, not willing to come close. But he was the first to start saying something. ‘Tt. I have wondered about the different fighting style that Jackson had utilised throughout the time I had known him. I had thought it was just a part of his training.’

Dick raised his head up like a dog on the scent of a bone. ‘Wait, this had been going on since Damian was here?’ That would mean that it had been happening even since _before_ Bruce went missing.

Sam and Tim had the emergency contingency plan for when they were found out, but it was only updated before they had the Bruce-hunt, so the details might not work out for this situation. Instead, Sam let Tim do the talking.

They had agreed very early on that no one will know about Sam being made of Tim’s magic, reinforced by Abraham’s. Bruce had been very adamant about not having metas in his city, and honestly Tim was afraid of his reaction when he figured out he was magic. So no talks of imaginary friends and the genie that had been in Gotham for years. No talking about soul switching as well as their telepathic communication.

Tim only shrugged at Dick’s question. ‘When Bruce is satisfied with his DNA analysis results, then I’ll tell you what happened. It’s a long story, and I don’t wish to tell it twice.’

_‘I think we keep with the lost twins story, that’s the best one we can do.’_

_‘Sure, you’re the brain here anyway.’_

Tim’s eyes crinkled at the sides with amusement, just as Bruce came back with a grim look on his face.

‘You two have identical DNA.’

Jason was the one who rolled his eyes at the statement. ‘Yeah Bruce, from _their identical faces,_ I bet 20 dollars that they are identical twins, which meant identical DNA. What, it took you ten whole minutes to determine that?’

‘You do not understand.’ Bruce gave him a _shut up_ look. ‘Identical twins have similar DNA, yes. But Sam and Tim here,’ he gestured to them both. ‘Have the _exact same DNA sequences._ This does not happen.’

Tim had his hands up placatingly. ‘I’ll tell you what we know, and you get to go nuts on it later okay?’ He paused until Bruce nodded. ‘Good, okay. So remember that time Sam went to Australia for some trip that he mentioned, years ago?’

He went on to tell them the story that he and Sam had made up.

The whole thing boiled down to this: Sam met Tim in Australia, they were surprised at their similar faces, Tim convinced Sam to have a blood test, they had identical DNA. The Drakes had never mentioned having twins before, or have any child other than Tim, so honestly they didn’t know much about how Sam came about. Sam had thought about magic, since in his time of being Robin they had encountered magic users before.

‘But, I was at a very bad place at the time, and Sam was like a gift to me, another family member when I just lost my mother, and my father was in a coma.’

Sam interjected, just to make it seem like it was real, and not just from Tim. ‘Yeah, I was staying with Tim for the whole time I was there, too. Spend enough time with him to know that he’s a good guy, and a family member that I could have.’

‘We don’t know how this happen, me having a twin of some sort that was left to fend for himself. But no matter what, we met each other, and decided to keep in touch.’

‘And we did keep in touch with each other for a while. I didn’t tell him about being Robin and everything, but-‘

‘But the moment I heard that he was adopted by Bruce Wayne, I knew. I might be in Australia, but I still keep up with the vigilante news back in Gotham. I knew that after the second Robin had died, there’s a third one, which coincided with when Sam was adopted.’

Dick interrupted. ‘Wait, hold up. How?’

‘It’s great that _you_ asked, Dick, because it was you who clued me in, back when I was around nine.’ Tim tilted his head, with a tiny smirk on his face. He explained about his nightly hobbies of taking photos and roaming the streets, the quadruple somersault clueing Tim in.

‘Hey, that sounds like someone else I know, someone who roamed the streets to look at Batman and Robin.’ Dick turned to look at Sam, who smiled sheepishly.

‘Well, I guess that twins really can be quite similar, even without the same environmental conditions.’

Tim and Sam, back when they were establishing Sam’s backstory and how he integrated himself into Bruce’s life, ensured that there were similarities with what _Tim_ had done, but still different enough to distinguish them both. So instead of photographs, it’s just Sam being a little creep, stalking them to look and admire them. Instead of going to Bludhaven to look for Dick, it’s Dick finding and talking to Sam while he was in Gotham. The way he forced himself in as Robin was still similar, but instead of Bruce occasionally letting Tim stay over at the Wayne’s manor (because his parents were still alive at that point), it was Bruce looking for Sam’s parents, and when he realised that he was practically an orphan, Bruce had immediately made plans to adopt him.

‘I was a little excited, when I realised that. But I didn’t tell Sam that I knew, so you don’t need to look at him like that.’ Tim said pointedly to Bruce, who was definitely thinking that Sam had spilled their secret to an outsider.

‘Tim only officially knew about this when Bruce disappeared.’ Sam said, quietly. Even now, that was still something that everyone was hesitant to talk about. ‘I found some clues that Bruce wasn’t dead, but Dick… Anyways, I had no one on my side, and I knew for a fact that Tim is better at these kinds of things than I. He looks at cold cases as hobbies, you know? So I went to him instead. Imagine my surprise when he told me the same thing that I wanted to tell him.’

‘Which was that I also believed that Bruce wasn’t dead. It was shocking news at first, and I couldn’t believe it. I guess I had the same reaction as Sam did, and I immediately went down the investigating blackhole. I told Sam that I knew, and I told him everything that I had, and we decided to go look for you together.’ Tim took over.

And it was quite funny, the way the family had looked at them when they were taking turns talking. It’s like those videos of cats or kittens, and the human had some dangling thing, and the cats all moved their heads from side to side simultaneously. Sam would laugh, but talking about this just reminded him about the whole Bruce disappearance incidence, and it would take a few more years before he was finally comfortable laughing about anything that happened during that time.

‘That was the time where I let Tim know about my training regime, and he took it just like how I took it. But mainly he was the brain, and I was the brawn.’

‘But, and here comes the part where I don’t think you all will like,’ Tim paused a while for the dramatic reveal, like the little shit he was. Sam rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what he was going to say. ‘Your grandfather,’ pointing at Damian so they all knew who he was talking about, ‘somehow found out about me, kidnapped me, and instead of doing something that normal psychopaths do, he did something even psychopaths will say it’s crazy.’

To Damian’s credit, he didn’t even flinch. ‘This is where you tell us that my grandfather has your spleen.’

‘Bingo.’ Tim said.

‘The fuck.’

‘What.’

‘So you _didn’t_ lose it in an accident.’

Sam turned to Jason. ‘Well, an accident means that it’s unplanned, and how Tim lose his spleen was definitely unplanned.’

Before Jason could get pissed about his comment, Sam continued. ‘But anyway, we got away because at that time I was totally done with Ra’s al Ghul, and we skedaddle out of there immediately. Got all the things we need from Ra’s, got everything set up, and voila, we managed to have you back.’

‘It was then that I decided to return to Gotham. I wanted to be with family, and Sam wants me there with him. So yeah, I got hold of Drake Enterprise, and made Sam go to online college with me.’

Bruce raised an eyebrow at the college comment. ‘Sam had told us that he would be done with schooling after high school. We had wondered why the college, but I guess this explains it.’

Sam shrugged. ‘Tim is very convincing.’

But Dick put up his hand in his effort to pause the conversation. ‘Okay, but how does that lead to Tim being Red Robin too?’

 _‘The first time we realised I can physically go out instead of using your body?’_ Tim asked Sam.

_‘Yeah, sure. That’ll do it.’_

It was actually kind of funny. They had been worried about it, because Sam had injured himself during a solo act, and it was a little embarrassing because the only backup he had was Tim. And Red Robin had promised to work together with Red Hood for another case the next day. They would have cancelled on that, but Sam was determined not to show any weakness to Jason, and the case they were working on was actually time-sensitive.

They were both stressing out, because _no Sam, you cannot go out with a broken leg, how would you even get to the meet-up place,_ and _but Tim, lives are at stake, and you know how Jason loves to have at least one explosion, we need someone to control that._ It was going to be a full-fledged fight when all of a sudden Sam stopped, and stared at Tim, from his face, down to his two not broken legs.

Tim noticed his stare, looked down to his own legs, and went _oh._

Things went simple enough from there.

‘So the both of you just, swapped.’ Dick said in a monotone, like he couldn’t believe that it happened.

Jason, on the other hand, was trying to recall the case that they were talking about. ‘Wait, you meant the one with the Gallson gang? I was wondering why you were a little less hostile towards me, and was pretty okay with the explosions.’

‘And that reminded me of something that Bruce said. You two have different opinions about me and Jason, don’t you?’ Dick asked, turning back to Tim and Sam.

Sam shrugged. ‘Yeah. I was the one Jason tried to kill.’ Simultaneously, Tim and Sam raised their head, so the scar at Sam’s neck was shown. Beside him, Tim’s neck was unblemished.

‘Oh. So I can make an educated guess and say that Tim here likes me a little more than Sammy does?’

Tim was the one who replied him. ‘Both Sam and I understand that most of your emotions and actions were exacerbated by the Lazarus Pit. I’m pissed that you tried to kill Sam, but you fail to do that. I don’t doubt that you wanted him dead, but if you had _really_ wanted him dead, Sam wouldn’t be here right now. So I’m pissed, but I try to have an open mind towards you.’

‘While I, on the other hand, was the one you _actually_ tried to kill, so forgive me if I need a little more effort on your part before I could accept you like Tim did.’ Sam shrugged. ‘And that little stunt you did just now? Not cool.’

‘And… me?’ Dick asked tentatively.

‘You cast me out when I was desperate for help. Tim hated that. I’m fine with it. So I’m the one you always deal with, during missions.’ Sam replied, grabbing Tim’s clenched fist.

‘Yeah, let’s just stick with _Tim hated that.’_ His friend/twin/brother said.

Dick seemed to have more words to say, but a look from Sam stopped him. It would be a long time before Tim could deal with Dick.

_Sam talked to Tim about being a hypocrite towards Jason and Dick._

_‘Both of them hurt me, so why hate Dick while you can deal with Jason? Why go for missions with Jason and let me still be close to Dick?’_

_Tim was silent for a while, and Sam could sense that he was trying to put his thoughts into words._

_‘I… I actually don’t know. But, I know that you are still afraid of Jason when he gets a little violent. And I know that even though Dick hurt you before, you still want his approval and attention.’ Tim smiled wryly. ‘I had that stage before with my parents, as you know. Desperate for some affection, some attention when they had already cast me away. You know, but you don’t_ know, _until you’ve experienced it before. I am sure Dick will not be as bad as my parents, he’ll give you the attention you need. I just hate him because I never wanted you to feel what I had felt, but he made it happen anyway.’_

‘You still haven’t explained the fact that you have _the exact same DNA.’_ Bruce said.

Sam met Tim’s eyes, and nodded for him to reply.

‘Well,’ Tim blinked, and he turned to Bruce. ‘We don’t exactly know. And to be honest, I am glad to have Sam with me, no matter what had happened. We have decided early on to never get into how this had happened, because frankly it doesn’t matter. Drake Enterprise is now under my control, and with Sam being your adopted son, he didn’t need to worry about money or any inheritance. You can look into this if you want B, but the results won’t change anything.’

‘Yeah. The conclusion is – you have both of us, both trained well enough to go on the streets. Both of us looking very similar to each other, and we are able to communicate between ourselves better than anyone else. Maybe instead of looking at all the things that you don’t understand, remember that the both of us are loyal to Gotham, and your wish to protect Gotham.’ Sam added.

Bruce kept silent, looking at the both of them with searching eyes.

 _‘What are the odds that he’ll keep on searching and looking into this until he actually get an answer?’_ Sam asked Tim wordlessly.

 _‘Oh, he’ll keep at it like a dog with the scent of a bone. Unfortunately for him, B will never think about magic, and therefore anything that he thought about will be false.’_ Tim replied smugly.

After a while when B realised that the silent treatment won’t work on the twins, he nodded once. ‘Fine. But the two of you will remain in the manor.’

Tim and Sam met each other’s eyes, Tim raising an eyebrow while Sam shrugged. They turned back to Bruce and agreed. ‘Sure, I mean. It’s been a while since I’ve eaten Alfred’s food fresh out from the kitchen. I guess we can stay for a while.’

‘Oh oh, and we’ve never been in the manor together!’ Sam exclaimed excitedly. Their eyes glinted mischievously, and that didn’t go past anyone’s eyes, although no one commented on it.

Because Damian had never seen that kind of expression on Samuel, or was it Tim. He (they?) were never so carefree around them, and Damian was starting to realise that.

Because Jason never actually interacted with Red Robin enough to get his personality. Maybe it’s because he actually was interacting with two different people, but the masks and their past made it harder. So no, Jason had only just started to understand that there were more behind Samuel, and Tim.

Because Dick hadn’t seen that expression in his younger brother(s?) in a long time. And he knew partially that it was his fault. That he was one of the ones that had kicked him when he was down.

Because Bruce could feel his heart almost stopping when he saw that. It reminded him of having younger kids in the manor again. A young one that will bring laughter and joy and annoyance and exasperation in the manor. He didn’t realise that it had been a long time since Dick had laughed and played around in the house. How long it had been since the family actually gathered together and enjoy each other’s company.

Because they all knew if it was brought up to the twins’ notice, it would be a long time before they would see it again.

* * *

Weeks past after that.

Tim and Sam officially moved (back) into the Wayne manor, and no one had asked them to leave yet. They were expecting it from the other occupants of the manor, but the fact that _Damian_ didn’t demand them to move out was a surprise.

(Damian was approached by those _other occupants of the manor_ and asked politely to not do exactly that. He grumbled about it, but acquiesced. But even before they talked to him, he had no wish to antagonise the twins, especially since now he was definitely outnumbered.)

After a few weeks where he was being closely watched, Tim was given the opportunity to build his own identity – from Bruce, no less. Which meant that the big boss had accepted him, and acknowledged his skills. But Tim decided to sit on that for a while. He and Sam both still preferred to share Red Robin, and they were happy enough to have that. Besides, having someone who was just as skilled, but not widely known was only going to be advantageous in any emergencies.

After the talk, Dick and Jason had tried to patch things up with Sam and Tim, in their own ways. But just as Tim was reluctant to forgive Dick, Sam was reluctant to forgive Jason, so they were still using their old strategy of Sam dealing with Dick and Tim dealing with Jason.

But things were getting better than the twins could even imagine, and honestly that’s what they had always wanted.

_Tim wanted Sam to be able to be interact with other people, and be happy._

_Sam wanted Tim to have a real family, and be happy._

* * *

When they had the chance, where everything was calm, and no one needed their expertise, Tim and Sam took a plane and went to Australia.

Specifically, to Gibson desert.

When they found him, Abraham was relaxing nearby a lake under a brightly coloured-beach umbrella. He had his sunglasses on, legs crossed as he laid on those cheap type of beach chairs. If one were to only look at him, they would imagine him to be near a beach, not a desert.

‘Hi Abraham!’ Sam was the one who yelled as he rushed forward, throwing the things that were on him down onto the sand. Abraham moved his sunglasses up onto his head, smiling when he laid his eyes on Sam. Tim was a few steps behind Sam, grunting in displeasure as he now had another bag to carry.

‘Sam. Tim. I am glad to see you two well.’

When Tim finally reached them, Sam was busy talking to Abraham, who was politely listening. ‘Oi, don’t you think we should move to a place with better shade before you talk Abraham’s ears off?’

‘Oh, yeah!’

Abraham huffed in amusement, and gestured behind him. A small-sized house appeared right in front of them, as if covered by mist or clouds that decided to dissipate when they pay attention. ‘Please, welcome in.’

They settled down at the sitting room. Abraham walked in through the door wearing a T-shirt and short beach pants, and appeared in the sitting room with a casual button-up and pants. Tim threw their bags onto the floor near the doorway, and the three of them sat down on the couches.

‘So how have you been Abraham? I haven’t seen you since forever! Tim told me how he brought you here, though, bet that’s an amazing adventure.’ Sam started.

Abraham gave them both a warm smile that made crinkles at the side of his eyes. ‘Yes, I have been very well. I have missed my home, and even though this is not home, it is close enough for me to think it is.’

When Tim first arrived in Australia, he didn’t have the time to fulfill his promise with Abraham. He had to find his new routine with school, extra-curricular activities, training and so on. And his parents were (for once) excited to have him accompany them to their trips, at least for the first few months.

By the time he actually had a week to himself without needing to go to school, and no one would be expecting him, it was around 4 months since he came to Australia. His parents had lost interest in him again, but they were much more generous with their allowance. He was able to get on a plane without much trouble.

Tim managed to get to Gibson desert, and checked into the nearest hostel. There, he summoned Abraham, and he asked about the extra wish that they could have, due to them summoning Abraham after so long.

Abraham agreed.

And so Tim wished for Abraham to be able to live freely, and to be able to exit the lamp without being summoned, and to be able to move independently. From henceforth, he would not be confined to the lamp, never to see the sunlight again until another curious person decides to rub the lamp and summon him.

Tim left Abraham there at the hostel after making sure that he was up-to-date on how humans live their daily lives. And it was done, wishes granted and paid for.

After that, Tim was busy with his own (and Sam’s) life.

It wasn’t until Sam asked Tim about Abraham that Tim thought of the idea to go and visit him. With the decision made, it wasn’t long before they were able to locate him, and off they went to Australia.

‘So everything is good?’ Tim asked.

‘Quite. I have missed being out here under the sun, without someone demanding for wishes to be granted. For this I really have to thank you both, Timothy, Samuel. You have given me the freedom that I had always wanted.’

‘That’s great!’ Sam cheered. ‘Getting to go wherever you want is like, the best freedom anyone can ask for.’

‘How about you two? Anything that you would like to share?’ Abraham asked in return. ‘I am glad that the two of you are reunited. Your separation was quite hard on Timothy, when he first arrived.’

Tim laughed, embarrassed. He didn’t realise that Abraham (whom at that time was still confined in his lamp, no less) was able to notice that. ‘Yeah, well. There’s a lot of ups and downs.’

They spent their day updating Abraham on their life. In a way, it was a vacation that the twins definitely deserved. They didn’t exactly sneak out of Gotham – they didn’t try to hide their flight ticket purchase (that was practically not hiding it, as far as the Bat clan are concerned).

_Oh who were they kidding, they definitely sneaked out of Gotham._

They even had their alibi – Tim’s father was in Australia after all, with his new wife. There was a legit reason why Tim would be in Australia, and since Sam was practically his twin, there’s no question why he would go with Tim. It didn’t matter that Tim and Jack just slowly ceased to contact each other after Jack realised that Tim was perfectly self-sufficient on his own, and didn’t an adult to try and “adult” him anymore.

History had repeated itself, where Jack suddenly had the urge to be a father and try to mend his relationship with Tim, and while it did get Tim to move to Australia with them before, this time it was too little, too late. Tim was an adult, neither needing nor wanting Jack’s attention. They had a fight when Jack tried to barge in and do what he wanted, and in a fit of rage, Jack vowed to never contact Tim every again.

That was the last time Tim talked to Jack. _Good riddance,_ Sam had said, and Tim had agreed. That was that.

So no, they’re not here because of Jack Drake. They were here because they missed Abraham, and wanted to visit the person that had made them who they were now, almost literally.

Their conversation slowed. It was close to early morning in Gotham, and that reflected on the twins even though the sun just only set here in the desert. Abraham, kind soul that he was, ushered them to his guest room, and both of them fell asleep after a wash-up and a quick change of clothes.

When they woke up, it was around the time that they had to leave if they were to be on time for their flight. They both gave Abraham a hug, and they were blessed to have the genie kiss them on the forehead.

‘For good luck, and prosperous future.’ He murmured with a smile on his face. ‘Next time, I would be the one visiting you two. I have been in Gotham for years and had never seen her in her best, or worst. I think I would like that.’

Tim and Sam grinned at each other, and at Abraham.

‘Abraham, we would love to have you there.’

* * *

Months went by. Tim finally found his own mask, although sometimes they switched with each other just to have some fun.

Jason mended his relationship with Sam, with Tim there to mediate. Jason was much better at controlling his pit rage, after some time away from Gotham and frankly, away from everything that was triggering him. Sam also was dealing with his fear towards the Jason that had tried to kill him. In the end, it was Tim who finally clued Jason in that all Sam wanted was just a sincere apology, when Jason subtly asked Tim. Jason apologised, Sam accepted, and Tim regretted the day Jason and Sam befriended each other because _they made each other worse._ Imps that always have tricks up their sleeved, the two of them. Only more explosives and violent, though never harm, never crossing the line.

Dick was still trying to mend his relationship with Tim. Sam told him one day that Dick had apologised to Sam about what he had done, and had finally explained his own thought process during that day he took Robin from Tim and gave it to Damian. Sam told him that he forgave him, but it was just for Dick’s sake – Sam had forgiven Dick a long time ago. Dick had asked Sam what he would have to do for _Tim_ to forgive him, but unlike Tim who could help Jason with Sam, Sam couldn’t help Dick with this.

It wasn’t as easy like Sam – Sam loved being with his family members, and he was always with the belief that the more the merrier. No, Tim was more… protective. Making do with what he had, and doing whatever he could to make sure they won’t be harmed. And god bless those that had crossed him, cause it’s gonna need a miracle before Tim forgives.

The good thing going for Dick, was that Sam himself was okay with him now. And Tim will either have to deal, or…

He would just have to deal.

Damian… They tried, all three of them. Damian was obviously trying not to go to his default settings of hostility and anger, and the twins tried to have some patience. Most days felt like one step forward two steps back, but they were trying, and both sides knew that. Suffice to say that there were more good days than bad, and everyone involved hoped that it will stay that way.

Bruce was Bruce. Subtly keeping an eye on the both of them. They knew that Bruce was still looking, still searching about Sam’s history. They knew he won’t be able to find anything incriminating. But once he got past that stage of suspicion, he was _Bruce_ again. The awkward dad, trying to fit in with his teenage children but failed hilariously. He gave them a talk about how there should be no secrets in the family and then received double the raised eyebrows that he couldn’t continue anymore and growled at them to get out of the room, but in a fond way.

Slowly they introduced Tim to everyone else. They made some things up, said some truths, got people to either laugh and said “come on, the truth please?” or roll their eyes at their _obviously fake_ background. The good thing about being a Bat was that they could get away with anything with an intense enough expression to make other people doubt themselves.

All in all, life was good, and it really was.

_And they were_ both _happy._


End file.
